Of the Ilk of Cerberus

In Greek mythology, (he is) the three-headed watchdog who guards the entrance to the lower world of Hades. It is a child of the giant Typhon and Echidna, a monstrous creature herself, being half woman and half snake.

Originally, the dog was portrayed having fifty or hundred heads but was later pictured with only three heads (and sometimes with the tail of a serpent). Cerberus permitted new spirits to enter the realm of dead, but allowed none of them to leave. Only a few ever managed to sneak past the creature…

In Roman mythology, the Trojan prince Aeneas and Psyche were able to pacify it with honey cakes.

As most of you know, my colleagues and I are hired to guard the gate by oil companies in various stages the process, from exploration to completion and beyond (don’t ask, I don’t know, they never say).

We’ve actually only had one gate. That one was on a hunting ranch outside of Tilden.

We usually just guard cattle crossings, although you never know what the next job, should there ever be one, might bring.

To those of you who have been kindly asking, no we still aren’t working. We knew the day we arrived here in the yard what our next assignment was to be. The only surprise has been the length of time it’s taken to get it.

This is a photo of the gate we were on a year ago today. Those big trucks took their toll.

With the repair work finished, we returned to the lot on Monday Feb. 27th, just in time to replace some Winter Texans that were leaving on the 29th. That was two weeks ago. They changed their minds and are staying until the rig finishes the hole and moves on to the next one. We just found out today that the move will take place on Tuesday! Hurray!

I was thinking we must be getting pretty poor. I wasn’t surprised when Heidi made homemade bread because she likes to do that.

I was surprised when she started making pudding and jello and even coffee creamer from scratch! I’d decided if we didn’t get back on the payroll next week, we’d be churning our own butter.

Then Heidi tells me tonight that it’s not the lack of fat in the budget, it’s the fat in my diet, that she’s tackling. OK. Well, I do think coffee is a condiment for creamer. 😀

And that brings us back to Cerberus and honey cakes.

We aren’t exactly in the ilk of Cerberus – although we did have Festus, the fierce guard donkey once.

And, there is the fact that Heidi was a high school English teacher. I have no idea why that is as terrifying as a 3 headed dog, but it seems to have the same effect on people. Don’t even TRY running her gate!

As for me, there was a time when I might have been open to a honey cake, but, alas, not now on my new, made from scratch without fat diet.The pudding is pretty good. The jello is a little unusual. As for the coffee creamer. I think it’s time I learn to drink it black. ;D

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12 thoughts on “Of the Ilk of Cerberus”

Thought I would share a little tip that might help you in the Texas sun 🙂 We have alot of wind where we are which makes the awning flap around like crazy. I took two bungee cords ( those elastic cords about 2 feet long with hooks on each side) 2 pieces of tent nylon rope and two tent pegs. Hook one of the bungee cords to one side of the canopy end bar and the other to the other end when awning extended, hook the nylon rope to the other end of the bungee cord and then anchor the nylon rope to the tent peg in the ground at about 45 degrees from the awning with the bungee cord pulled about half way tight but so it still has some elasticity in it. This works great as the bungee cords absorb the wind pull on the canopy but stop it from flying up and crashing
around. So far we have had some mean winds but the canopy has stayed in place and its a cheap fix.

Great! Now you’ve done it, Debbie! I came home yesterday to find Pot Pie had glued his Gumby and Angry Bird heads to his shoulders, packed his knapsack and is headed to the bayou. He was mumbling something about starring in the next Ghost Buster film… and being trained by Heidi. He likes his creamer without coffee.

On a serious note, should something not let loose soon, and the necessities begin to dwindle, helping friends are near as a shout.

By the way, Pot Pie has to bathe every day… he can’t get beyond rolling in stuff that is either dead… or smells like it is. At least it’s not Texas, the ‘smorgasborg (I’m pretty confident that’s not spelled correctly) of the rolling dogs state (refer to all previous posts with dead animals everywhere).’ On that, when he’s worn out his welcome, make sure he goes east… not west (toward Texas).

MT – 😀 Yes, his name is Festus. My proofreading is atrocious. As long as the dictionary recognizes it as a word, it just sails on by me! 😉
Your comment was more fun than my post!
I LOVE Pot Pie! I wish he and his people could come and visit but I’m afraid the rolling in all things dead would be too much for him to resist.
Creamer without coffee! LOL!
Will you give him an extra BIG Texas sized treat from me?
And I love you, too.
How amazingly kind of you to offer help to a person you only know from a reading a few posts. And how like you. I’m honored to have you as my friend.
We’re still set to start tomorrow (it’s 2 p.m. so that could still change) and we’ve figured out how we can pay both are taxes and buy more peanut butter! 😀
Thanks my friend!
Debbie

Started reading your blogs after we got home for s short break. Didn’t know there were so many other gate guard companies. and NO the company we work for does not have a lot for us to stay in betweeen assignments. Most of the time we finish an assignment and go back to whereever our home base is.

Our company just started doing gate guard work for oil companies, also.

I went through a long period of time where I ground the wheat, sprouted the beans and made my own furniture polish, so don’t start me on what’s possible to make from scratch when you only have $20/month for groceries. Of course, it was the early 80s and I was more imaginative. My brother dumped off his frozen squirrels and that was pretty much it for meat. Thankfully they were always skinned first, but I can do that if necessary.

So I can do ‘poor’ but I’ve never really gone hungry. It does explain my overstocking tendencies when it comes to basics like oatmeal and powdered milk. I wish I could have a couple of hens but…

I don’t think I’ll defend myself. I have some quirks and I immediately go into ‘homemade mode’ when the funds start falling. Yesterday I made buttery homemade graham cracker crust for the pudding, so we’re not fat-free yet. I just made it separately and suggested we sprinkle it sparingly on the pudding.

Maybe you can clear something up for me. You said that you left a gate, went into Houston for repairs and now you are back at the yard waiting for a gate? How does this work? If you are a gate guard for this company do you automatically get to go back to the yard and say ‘I’m here!? Do you get to stay as long as you like, meaning until assigned a gate? What if you are gone for months does it still apply, get to go back to the yard and wait for a gate? Is there some kind of waiting list or do you call them and let them know you’re coming? So confused, sorry for so many questions.

Oh, gosh I love your stories, Debbie. I’m not a coffee person, but I really laughed about it being a condiment for creamer!! Well, I hope if you come here for dinner ever, you’ll be through with the diet program–or at least on hiatus from it. I do not cook low fat, that I’ve noticed. In fact, it’s rather humorous–even to myself–that I often start with olive oil (healthy) and then add all the sour cream or whipping cream, etc for thick rich soups and gravy/sauces………..God bless us! love to you, sis Caddo

Hello Caddo!
I spent J-term in Mexico during my Sophomore year, finishing my Spanish requirement. I didn’t get very good at Spanish, but I did get hooked on Coffee con Leche (which was more steamed milk than coffee).
This was way before Starbucks and lattes.
So, sadly, I began diluting my coffee 30 years ago. I’m going to have to grow up and drink it like a woman, I guess! 😉
I’ll happily indulge in cream and well.. more cream if I ever get to come for dinner! Yum!
Debbie